Less coal, more green energy

Less coal, more green energyChina plans to use less coal Increases in non-fossil fuels and natural gas will account for more than 68% of China's total expected increase in energy consumption. China will cut coal consumption in its total energy use and raise the share of clean energy before 2020, according to the latest plan for the energy sector.

The share of non-fossil fuels will have risen to more than 15% and the share of natural gas should reach 10%, deputy head of the National Energy Administration Li Yangzhe said at a press conference yesterday.

The increase in non-fossil fuels and natural gas will account for more than 68 %of total expected increase in energy consumption, meaning that clean and low-carbon energy sources will become a major part of the energy supply during the 2016-2020 period, Li said.

Total energy consumption will be contained within 5 billion tons of coal equivalent, representing an annual increase of about 2.5%, lower than an annual rise of 3.6% during the 2011-2015 period.

Energy use per unit of Gross Domestic Product will drop 15 %during the new five-year period, Li said.

NAMPA/XINHUA